Best quality/looks combination all around case for Evo LTE?

Otterbox Commuter

Case-Mate Pop! 2

Qmadix Vibe Flex Gel

Qmadix Snap On

Others

Figured I would get an Ebay case review thread going. I was looking to buy a Silicone case for my phone since Sprint dropped the ball and only offers a blue one. Why they don't have an official HTC silicone case in black is beyond me but my OG Evo one was great.

Anyone buy a case from Ebay yet? If so, what do you think of it and if it's nice and a good price, who was the seller?

Edit: Just bought a cheapo silicone case for $4.25. Will review when it comes in.

For me the tpu cases are a little light on protection. I work in the construction field, so the hybrid silicon/hard plastic cases seem to do the best for me.

Now the tpu cases do keep the sleek look and feel while giving protection. I currently have a tpu case on mine while I wait for a variant of the commuter to arrive. If I don't see one that will work for my needs soon, I'll probably buck up and get the commuter.
I know folks who only use the defender, and I also know folks who go commando only, it takes all types to make the world go round.

Frogbone, I did get the Otterbox Defender for the Evo lte. I had it on my Evo 4g also and hated it on that phone. The rubber was loose and would always come unhooked.
The new one is so much better and really doesn't make the phone that large. I plan to keep it in the Otterbox even when I go out.

Seidio Convert is my choice. Had one on my old 4G and have had one on my new LTE since day one. Carry mine in my pocket most of the time and it is not too bulky. Very secure in the case and feels good in my hand.

Seller shipped super quick, got the item in 3 days (would be quicker for most of the continental states). Comes in a package with this branding:

The case is a fairly solid TPU that is black glossy on the outside and matte/dull on the inside (ostensibly to protect/adhere to the phone itself without slipping). Goes on like any other TPU case, find the most pliable corner and put all the other ones in first. The case fits very snugly and securely, better than the smoke TPU case I had for my OG Evo.

First thing to notice is that it doesn't have any covering over the buttons, whereas some TPU cases have thinner membrane type areas over the buttons. Personally I think I prefer having the buttons covered, but this case is manufactured very well and cut pretty much perfectly for all ports and buttons.

There is a raised lip around the camera and flash that keeps the bezel around the camera lens from touching the surface the phone is laid on. The headphone port fits my modern-style headphone plug; older style plugs might have a little bit of trouble as it doesn't really have much room to spare. The kickstand cutout is generous enough to not hinder operation. The phone still stands firmly with the kickstand in all 3 directions possible.

The microphone and speaker holes are cut out accurately. Camera and power buttons are easily accessible and operable. Charging port cutout is fine, fit all the micro USB cables I have including one rectangular type; the early-days really blocky, chunky types might be a little tricky to fit, but there is a little give in the case that could help.

Volume rocker cutout also accurate and generous. The only flaw to speak of in the design is here, as the piece of rail above the rocker is thin and bends fairly easily. The other holes are small enough that the rail is well-supported. This is the area that makes me think I may want to try out another case that has covered buttons, since they seem to support the edge rail better. They also make the buttons easier to press if executed well.

The performance of this case is outstanding. Slips easily in and out of the picket and feels solid, yet the improvement in grip is at least 100%. I was always afraid I was going to drop the phone when it was naked. The raised lip around the screen helps a lot with swyping to the far side of the screen; because of its larger size than the OG Evo, I found my reaching swypes to often be messed up by the palm touching the close corner of the face. I expect most TPU cases to offer these improvements. In addition, fitment is really, really good, very snug.

All in all, for a $5 case this exceeded my expectations. The material and manufacturing quality are excellent, the only niggle I have is the open-hole design vs. membrane button covers.

For reference here is the OG Evo that is the basis for my comparisons:

The quality of this OG Evo TPU case was always below that of the Evo LTE case, with a more uneven and more raised seam, and the buttons with a little flashing on them. Still, in use, this case had some advantages.

My wife and I got the Diztronic TPU case. I think it fits this discussion as it was only $10 on amazon (link below). For photos of the case check out the link. That's exactly what it looks like.

I am very pleased with this case. It looks great with the matte back and polished front. In fact when people are checking out my LTEvo I usually have to point out that it is in a case. That's how good it looks.

The cut outs are great. I find it hard to find the charging port without the case on. The kickstand is still easy to pull out with a fingernail.

The amount of protection it adds is fair. The obvious trade-off is more bulk for more protection. I like the TPU better than the hard plastic or silicone because it is somewhere in the middle, offering shock protection and a nice shell. I would recommend a good screen protector to use with it (there is a whole thread on screen protectors, I favor the Zagg HD).

The fit is good. It is very snug. There is no wiggle. I like that it is specially designed with a lip around the screen to keep the screen off whatever surface you set it on, and another around the camera to further protect the lens.

Some folks have said that this case caused their phone to shut down or restart. My wife was experiencing something similar. I removed the case and back cover and re-installed them, being careful to seat them correctly. She has had no problems since.

I cannot vouch for the glossy cases, but I love the matte black case and recommend it without hesitation.

Ok it finally came in the mail yesterday but I haven't taken any pictures with it on.

This case was a $4.25 silicone case from ebay. Seller = "zydistro"

Picture:

I don't have any pictures of it on the phone because I am at work and my only camera is the phone.

However, it's a pretty nice case. As you can see, the camera and flash are cut out as two separate holes which do a great job of protecting both. Not only does the camera hole protect the camera from touching a surface, it actually protrudes out even further than the camera itself to the point that a grain of sand sitting on a table cannot possible reach it to scratch. The fit is nice and tight (as tight as a silicone case can be) and the finish is pretty nice. Picks up plenty of lint like all silicone cases but it wipes off very easily.

The new charging port on the side is going to be an issue however. My Palm micro-usb cord barely slips through the hole and my cheap dollar store ones are useless as they are too big to fit. This is ok however because it's so easily to slip it on and off the phone unlike some hard cases.

Is this going to be an issue with all cases now that the charging port is on the side instead of the bottom? I guess I will have to pick my charging cables accordingly.

Over all I am pleased with the case and I don't think the HTC branded ones are worth the $15 premium over this one. If you want a silicone case I wouldn't worry about the fitment of this particular ebay seller's case and he has several other colors as well as "kits" available.

Thanks to that info, I tracked down this TPU case, which does have covered buttons. Dunno if I just missed it earlier or if it's just recently available. Not sure I like the lack of a "lip" around the camera lens but I may try it out just to see.

I want a case that is as thin as possible, but that has at least decent shock protection. Im the kinda guy who does drop his phone every once in a while, and the otterbox commuter for my EVO 3D always did the job.

Im also trying to look at the aesthetics of course, but I want y'all s opinion on the pros and cons of each case:

MOD NOTE: There are quite a lot of case threads already , many have the same discussions and information. This thread has been merged into a broader general case thread to keep down on redundant threads and posts. Thank you.

I hate cases. I've had one for 90% of all the phones I've ever owned and have ended up removing them after about a week or two.

That being said, I can't imagine my Evolte without the Otterbox Commuter case. Its extremely well put together and still preserves most of the "thin-ness" of the phone. I actually feel as if my phone is well protected and have already had several drops (tile, carpet, concrete) and wasn't worried at all when I went to pick it back up.

Granted, I haven't used the other cases you mentioned, but I can't image you would be unhappy with the Commuter. Everything just fits so perfectly.

I hate cases. I've had one for 90% of all the phones I've ever owned and have ended up removing them after about a week or two.

That being said, I can't imagine my Evolte without the Otterbox Commuter case. Its extremely well put together and still preserves most of the "thin-ness" of the phone. I actually feel as if my phone is well protected and have already had several drops (tile, carpet, concrete) and wasn't worried at all when I went to pick it back up.

Granted, I haven't used the other cases you mentioned, but I can't image you would be unhappy with the Commuter. Everything just fits so perfectly.

Click to expand...

thanks for the input. Anybody has any experience with any of the other cases I mentioned?

Does the commuter stay on the phone? what I mean is, with these less expensive ebay cases, I notice after a while they start to get loose on the sides of the phone. Not sure on the LTE one I got, but going from prior experience I expect it to happen.

Does the commuter stay on the phone? what I mean is, with these less expensive ebay cases, I notice after a while they start to get loose on the sides of the phone. Not sure on the LTE one I got, but going from prior experience I expect it to happen.

First thing I noticed is that it is exactly the same material as the other case I reviewed above. That's a good thing IMO. Fit and finish is basically identical to the other case. Again, a good thing.

Some views:

Nothing remarkable on the front side, the fit is basically the same around the edges.

The back side is where you start to see the differences in design:

First, there is no lip around the camera/flash hole. I checked with a straight edge and the camera bezel is indeed able to touch the table if laid flat. Bummer. The headphone cutout is also different, ganging the port with the upper microphone hole. This might be more forgiving on large headphone jacks. The kickstand hole is good, easy to access.

The bottom half holes are basically identical, a speaker hole and a microphone hole on the bottom. Here you can see the biggest difference in the cases and the reason I bought it -- the buttons are covered.

These views show the differences between the two cases clearly:

Note the charging port hole is a bit wider on the new case.

Overall the new case feels nice in the hand. The button covers work well, I am used to the style from my OG Evo, which worked a little bit better with the covered buttons than this combination. It could be because the bosses over the buttons are more subtle on the Evo LTE version. The camera button is a little tricky at first to figure out the half-press point, but once you do it works fine.

I'm happy with this case on first impression, the only thing I don't like about it is the lack of a lip around the camera. If I can find one that combines the covered buttons with the lip, I probably will pick that up for a final solution.